Reviewed by Jeanne
Booklover Nina revels in her librarian job in
Birmingham, England. She lives to
connect people with books, finding just the perfect book for each person. Then her world comes crashing down with the
news that, due to cutbacks, the library is to be turned into a technology
center and most of the staff let go.
Even as she applies for a job in the new center, Nina’s heart isn’t in
it. She doesn’t want to “interface” in a
“multimedia experience zone.” She’s sure
that people still want books, no, still need
books, and so she hits on a daring plan: she will buy a van, stock it with books,
and use it as a mobile bookshop.
She just didn’t expect to end up in a tiny village
in Scotland with an irritable farmer for a landlord, sheep for neighbors, and a
flirtation with a handsome train conductor.
British author Colgan is getting a lot of good buzz
for her funny, contemporary romances, so I decided to give one a try. As advertised, this was a light and fun book
with memorable characters and some good lines.
Colgan did an especially good job of describing the Scottish countryside
as seen through the eyes of an English city girl. Her descriptions of the air,
the sunlight in the long summer days, the fields, the Northern Lights, all made
it sound as though it would be worth putting on several sweaters and wellies to
go see. Most of all, the emphasis is on
books and the human need for storytelling.
Nina has some real challenges in finding books for many of her new
Scottish neighbors, but Colgan comveys well the joy in connecting book and
reader.
There’s a good assortment of characters, from the boys at the pub to an
angry young teen who helps with the shop in return for books, to Nina’s former
roommate who can’t believe that Nina has ended up (in her view) out in the
middle of nowhere.
But she also acknowledges that some folks are
resistant to reading fiction with a wonderful line from Lennox, Nina’s landlord
who states plainly that he just can’t understand “why anyone would go to the
trouble of making up new people in this world when there’s already billions of
the buggers I don’t give a shit about.”
The only disappointment I had with the book was that
Colgan makes up many of the recommendations instead of using real books. It seemed to me to be an odd choice to make, as
it would connect readers with more books they might enjoy which is pretty much
Nina’s reason for being, at least at the beginning.
If you’re looking for a cozy romance with books,
humor, and atmosphere, The Bookshop on the Corner is a great choice!
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